Food insecurity and depressive symptoms among older adults assisted by the Family Health Strategy in the Northeast region of Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and food insecurity in households with older adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted with community-dwelling older adults attended to in the Family Health Strategy in a municipality in the Brazilian Northeast. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale and food insecurity was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. The chi-squared test was applied for a bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression was used to verify the association between depressive symptoms and food insecurity, adjusted for potential confounding variables. The significance level was p<0.05. Results A total of 316 older adults were evaluated, with a mean age of 70.5 (±7.5 years). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.5% and that of food insecurity was 63.3%, with 25.6% of households with older adults experiencing moderate/severe insecurity. In the multivariate analysis, households experiencing mild food insecurity presented 3 times (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.42-6.39) more chance of developing depressive symptoms, while in those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity the chance was 5 times higher (OR: 5.01; 95% CI: 2.30-10.92). Conclusion An association was found between food insecurity and depressive symptoms in households with older adults of the Family Health Strategy, with more chances for those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity.